U.S. Route 201
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| Route information | ||||||||||
| Auxiliary route of US 1 | ||||||||||
| Maintained by MaineDOT | ||||||||||
| Length: | 157.46 mi[1] (253.41 km) | |||||||||
| Existed: | 1926 – present | |||||||||
| Tourist routes: |
 Old Canada Road Scenic Byway | |||||||||
| Major junctions | ||||||||||
| South end: |
  US 1 / SR 24 in Brunswick | |||||||||
 I‑295 in Gardiner I‑95 in Fairfield US 202 in Augusta  US 2 / US 201A in Skowhegan | ||||||||||
| North end: |
 SR 6 Route 173 at the Canadian border near Saint-Théophile, QC | |||||||||
| Location | ||||||||||
| Counties: | Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Kennebec, Somerset | |||||||||
| Highway system | ||||||||||
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U.S. Route 201 (US 201) is part of Maine's system of numbered highways, as well as the nationwide system of United States Numbered Highways. As its number suggests, it is a spur route of U.S. Route 1, running from Brunswick to the Canadian border near Jackman. Between Solon and its northern terminus, US 201 is known as the Old Canada Road National Scenic Byway.[2]
Route description
US 201 begins in Brunswick. It follows the Kennebec River from Gardiner, Maine, to The Forks where it winds away from the river and runs up into the north woods mountains. The highway crosses the Appalachian Trail at Caratunk, Maine.[3]
North of The Forks, US 201 climbs in elevation over Johnson Mountain and around Coburn Mountain near Upper Enchanted and Parlin Pond Townships. Before reaching Jackman, the road peaks at the Attean Pond Lookout, a popular rest area, before descending into town.
Route 201 ends in Sandy Bay Township, where it enters Quebec, Canada at the Armstrong-Jackman Border Crossing, and becomes Route 173. An alternate route, U.S. Route 201A, runs through the towns of Madison and Norridgewock.[1]
History
Route 201 follows old river trading routes of the Abenaki people. Parts of Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec took place along the route that today make up U.S. Route 201.[4][5] On June 15, 2000, the route was designated a National Scenic Byway.[6]
US 201 used to be New England Interstate Route 20 (NEI 20) in the 1920s. The original 1922 plan had NEI 20 starting in Portland. The southern half was later shifted east to start in Brunswick (the realignment may have been done prior to actual signing of the route.) The southern end of the original Route 20 is now State Route 100 from Portland to Augusta. The Brunswick end of the original NEI 20 intersected with NEI 1 (which is now U.S. Route 1), which remained the southern terminus of US 201 until the construction of the US 1 freeway, at which point its terminus was moved to its current location on State Route 24.
Since its designation in 1926, US 201 has only undergone one major realignment. US 201 used to run through Norridgewock, Anson, and Madison on its way to Solon. In 1954, US 201 was moved to a new eastern alignment which completely bypasses this area, and the existing alignment was redesignated U.S. Route 201 Alternate, a designation which remains to the present. Over time, several other state highways have been realigned, and as a result U.S. Route 201A is now completely overlaid by other highways.
US 201 has also undergone various other minor route adjustments, but largely maintains its original 1926 routing.
Major intersections
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland | Brunswick | 0.00 | 0.00 | US 1 SR 24 south (Maine Street) | Interchange; southern terminus of US 201. |
| Sagadahoc | Topsham | 0.5 | 0.8 | SR 24 north (Elm Street) | Northern terminus of US 201/SR 24 concurrency. |
| 1.3 | 2.1 |  SR 196 (Lewiston Road) | To I‑295. | ||
| Bowdoin | 6.9 | 11.1 |  SR 138 (Post Road) | To  I‑295 / SR 125; Southern terminus of SR 138. | |
| 8.2 | 13.2 | SR 125 north (Main Street) | Southern terminus of SR 125 concurrency. | ||
| 8.3 | 13.4 | SR 125 south (Main Street) | Northern terminus of SR 125 concurrency. | ||
| Richmond | 14.1 | 22.7 |  SR 197 (County Road) | To I‑295. | |
| 14.3 | 23.0 | SR 138 south (Post Road) | Northern terminus of SR 138. | ||
| Kennebec | Gardiner | 20.2 | 32.5 | I‑295 | I-295 Exit 49. To I‑95 / Maine Turnpike |
| 25.0 | 40.2 |   SR 9 / SR 126 west (Water Street) | Southern terminus of US 201/SR 9/126 concurrency. | ||
| 25.3 | 40.7 |  SR 9 / SR 126 east / SR 27 south (Bridge Street) SR 24 (Maine Avenue) | Northern terminus of US 201/SR 9/126 concurrency. Southern terminus of US 201/SR 27 concurrency. Northern terminus of SR 24. | ||
| Augusta | 31.1 | 50.1 |    US 202 / SR 11 / SR 17 / SR 100 (Western Avenue)  SR 8 / SR 11 / SR 27 / SR 104 (State Street) | Northern terminus of US 201/SR 27 concurrency. Southern terminus of US 201/202/SR 17/100 concurrency. Southern terminus of SR 8/104. | |
| 31.8 | 51.2 | SR 9 west / SR 17 south (Stone Street) SR 105 (Cony Street) | Northern terminus of US 201/SR 17 concurrency. Southern terminus of US 201/202/SR 9/100 concurrency. Western terminus of SR 105. | ||
| 32.1 | 51.7 | US 202 / SR 9 east (North Belfast Avenue) | Northern terminus of US 201/202/SR 9 concurrency. US 201/SR 100 concurrency continues. | ||
| 33.1 | 53.3 |  SR 3 (Augusta Bypass) | To SR 104 / I‑95. | ||
| Waterville | 48.2 | 77.6 |  SR 137 (Carter Memorial Drive) | To SR 11 / SR 104. | |
| 49.2 | 79.2 |   SR 137 Bus. (China Road) | Southern terminus of US 201/SR 100/137 Business concurrency. To  SR 32. | ||
| 49.3 | 79.3 |  SR 100A (Halifax Street) | Southern terminus of SR 100A. | ||
| 50.0 | 80.5 | SR 137 Bus. (Spring Street) | Northern terminus of US 201/SR 100/137 Business concurrency. | ||
| 50.3 | 81.0 | SR 11 south (Elm Street/Main Street) / SR 104 | Southern terminus of US 201/SR 11/100 concurrency. | ||
| Somerset | Fairfield | 53.5 | 86.1 |  SR 11 / SR 100 north / SR 139 east (Bridge Street) | Northern terminus of US 201/SR 11/100 concurrency. Southern terminus of US 201/SR 139 concurrency. |
| 53.7 | 86.4 | SR 139 west (Western Avenue) | Northern terminus of US 201/SR 139 concurrency. To I‑95. | ||
| 54.5 | 87.7 | I‑95 | I-95 Exit 133. | ||
| 58.6 | 94.3 |  SR 23 south (Ohio Hill Road) | Southern terminus of US 201/SR 23 concurrency. | ||
| 61.0 | 98.2 | SR 23 north (Canaan Road) | Northern terminus of US 201/SR 23 concurrency. | ||
| Skowhegan | 68.8 | 110.7 | US 2 west / US 201A (West Front Street) SR 104 (Main Street) | Southern terminus of US 2/201 concurrency. Southern terminus of US 201A/northern terminus of SR 104. | |
| 69.0 | 111.0 | US 2 east (Water Street) | Northern terminus of US 2/201 concurrency. To  SR 150. | ||
| Madison | 73.4 | 118.1 |  SR 148 (White School House Road) | Eastern terminus of SR 148. | |
| 79.0 | 127.1 |  SR 43 (Thurston Hill Road/Horsetail Hill Road) | |||
| Solon | 84.1 | 135.3 | US 201A (Bridge Street) / SR 8 | Northern terminus of US 201A/SR 8. | |
| Bingham | 91.9 | 147.9 |  SR 16 west (Ferry Street) | Southern terminus of US 201/SR 16 concurrency. | |
| 92.5 | 148.9 | SR 16 east | Northern terminus of US 201/SR 16 concurrency. | ||
| Jackman | 140.7 | 226.4 |  SR 6 east / SR 15 (Long Pond Road) | Southern terminus of US 201/SR 6 concurrency. Northern terminus of SR 15. | |
| Sandy Bay Township | 157.46 | 253.41 | SR 6 ends Route 173 (Route-du-Président-Kennedy) | Armstrong-Jackman Border Crossing — Northern terminus of US 201/western terminus of SR 6; road continues into Québec as Route 173. | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Bannered routes
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| Location: | Solon |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 U.S. Numbered Highways – 1989 Edition (current). AASHTO. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- ↑ Scenic Byway. visitmaine.com. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- ↑ Maine Scenic Drives: Old Canada Road Scenic Byway. HowStuffWorks. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
- ↑ Gibson, John (1998). Maine's Most Scenic Roads: 25 Routes Off the Beaten Path. Camden, Maine: Down East Books. pp. 123–130.
- ↑ Old Canada Road Scenic Byway (Route 201). exploremaine.org. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- ↑ Old Canada Road Scenic Byway – Official Designations. byways.org. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
External links
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